The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-03-16
Terrible Railroad Accident

On THE Boston & Providence Roam
SIX CARS FALL THRoUGH STREET
BRmGE-O OVER THIRTY PERSONS KILLED
AND A LARGE NUMBER INJURED.
The most horrible railroad accident known
in the vicinity of Boston, save that at Re-
we're several years ago occurred at thirteen
minutes past seven o'clock Monday morn
ing, on the West Roxbury branch of the
Boston & Providence railroad, caused by
the giving way of the iron truss bridge
which spans South street at point about
equi-distant from the Rosindale and Forest
Hills stations The train left Dedham at
seven o'clock, and consisted of an engine
and nine cars, in charge Of Conductor W. II.
Arden and assistants Myron Tilden and
Webster Drake. 1t had taken passengers
at Spring street, West Roxbury, Highlands,
Central and Roslindale stations, and at the
time the disaster took place about three
hundred persons were on board. The en-
CINE and three cars passed safely over the
bridge, which broke down just as the fourth
car ran upon it. The car was hurled for
ward and downward, striking the further
abutment. Its roof was torn off and slid
along the track for many feet. The body
of the car was crushed into fragments so
small that it is impossible to locate its re-
mains, and it is believed that every person
in it was killed. The five cars which fol-
lowed went down into the chasm, broken
and splintered, with roofs and floors gaping
and sides smashed out. The ruins took
fire at once, but fortunately the blaze was
extingushed by men who rushed to the
spot at hearing the noise of the falling
train. The engineer ran the locomotive to
the next station and called out the fire ap-
paratus, and large force of police rallied
from a station near by The work of resCu-
ing the passengers imprisoned in the wreck
was done remarkably quick and success
fully, under the direction of cool-headed
men, who grasped at once the terrible stu
alton. Some of the wounded were carried
to their houses and some to the Boston hospi-
tails, and the unrecognized dead were carried
to the city 11orgue. On account of the COM
peteness of the destruction of the six cars
the bodies of the killed and seriously
wounded presented a frightful spectacle
A wOmans corpse was cut in two at the
waist; a girls head was torn from the
trunk; Conductor Tilden's leg was twisted
and some of his ribs torn from his chest
Other mutilations were more frightful
The scene of the disaster was so near the
center of the city that thousands of sight
seers made their way there in two or three
hours.
The engineer of the wrecked train said to
one gentleman: " felt jerk, as if an axle
had broken, and l think it is probable that
that is what caused the accident, az this
would have made sufficient jar to throw the
car itself off the bridge and to cause it to
drag the others after it,"
One of the things which speak well for
the care of the road is the fact that the door
OF every stove was locked, and notwith-
standing the awful strain upon them, the
bolts by which the stoves were held in
every instance held except in the last car,
which got over the bridge and was wrecked
in the bank
The dead and injured are all or nearly all
residents of Boston and vicinity. Follow
ing is list of the recognized dead: Con-
ductor Wyman Tilden of Dedham; Alice
A. Burnett of Roslindale William John
son of Roslindale Mrs. Hormidas Card-
nal of Roslindae; Ernest Clapp of West
Roxbury; Miss Norris of West Rox-
bury; Edward f. Norris of Dedham, freight
clerk of the Boston & Providence railroad:
Edgar Snow of West RoXbury; Waldo B.
Lalor, police officer; Lizzie Vaudeville of
Dedham Lizzie Walton of Dedham; Web
ster Drake (conductor) of Dedham; Will
lam S. Strong Gnternal injuries) died after
removal to City hospital; William E. Dur
ham (body crushed) died after removal to
City hospital; Stephen Houghton gas filter,
of West ROXbury Mr.. Adams of Roslindale;
Mrs. Kennard of Roslindale o. Harry Gay
! (clerk) died after removal to City hospital;
Miss Swallow of Roslindale; Mrs. NJ. L.
Odiorne of Dover, N H., employed by
Salem, Wilder Il Co., Summer street. Miss
Ida Adams, Brakeman Smith, Miss Price
of Brookline; William Hawkins of West
RoXbury; Mrs. G. w Watts, wife of Officer
Watts of Station b. At the Grove street
morgue are three bodies of women I'M
identified, found with Miss Price. Up to
noon five bodies, three of them of men and
two of women, had been taken to the City
hospital morgue and are now there await
ing identification. Besides these there are
at least five persons fatally injured-Alice
Adams of Roslindale, Frank Gay of West
Roxbury, G. W. Hayes of Roslindale,
Joseph Metcalf of West Roxbury and w. +.
Bowman of Dedham. The number of others
more or less injured is at least one hundred.